No fewer than nine senators from different political parties on Thursday formally announced their defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), further altering the political configuration of the Senate.
The lawmakers include Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), Lawal Usman (Kaduna Central), Ogoshi Onawo (Nasarawa South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), and Ireti Kingibe (Federal Capital Territory).
Their letters of defection were read on the floor of the Senate during Thursday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In his letter, Nwoye attributed his decision to ongoing internal crises within the Labour Party.
“I wish to tender my resignation amid the ongoing multiple litigations within the Labour Party, which have significantly affected the cohesion and stability of the party,” the letter read.
Reacting after reading the letters, Akpabio welcomed the lawmakers to their new political platform but dismissed claims that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was responsible for the wave of defections.
“Deputy Senate President and Leader of the Senate, I hope you noticed that I have read defections from three different political parties now. So, you cannot accuse the ruling party of tampering with its leadership,” Akpabio said.
“Here, we have APGA, Labour Party, and SDP. All of them have issues and have not been able to put their parties together. So, the APC cannot be blamed for this,” he added.
The latest defections highlight the ongoing political realignments in the 10th Senate, where lawmakers have repeatedly switched party allegiances amid internal disputes within several opposition parties.
Despite the changes, the APC retains a dominant majority in the chamber with 87 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now has seven members.
With the new additions, the ADC also has seven senators.
Other minority parties include the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), each with one senator, bringing the total membership of the Senate to 106.
Following the defections, the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) currently have no representation in the Senate.
